Joseph welsh



UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WELSH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

LOOM.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 12,981, dated May 29, 1855.

To all 'whom z5 may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH IVELSH, of the city of Philadelphia and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Looms;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,in which- Figure l, is a perspective view of a double-box loom with theimprovement attached; Fig. 2, a transverse section of part of the same;Fig. 3, a like sectional back view; and Fig. 4, a sectional topview-like letters indicating the same parts when on the dierent figures.

The nature of my invention consists in an improved mode of relieving thetip or point of the shuttle from contact with the picker so that itshall be so relieved previously to the commencement of the up or downmotion, of the box containing it; and also in so adapting the saidinvention, when applied to three or four box looms, as to prevent any ofthe shuttles skipped, being displaced by the action of the pickerstopper, during the up or down mot-ion of the said box. These importantand necessary results are attained by means of a stop or stud, which isadjustably aflixed upon the frame of the loom, so as to operate a latchcombined with a rock shaft which is attached to the under side of thelay, and connected with a partially rotating stud, having a curvedmetallic piece projecting therefrom (which may be called the pickerstopper) and which on every forward motion of the lay, may at the optionof the attendant, be caused by the said stop or stud, to recede afterarresting the shuttle, so as to allow the picker to follow in Contacttherewith, and thus relieve the said shuttle from its contact with thepicker, before the shuttle box commences to move, the said stop andlatch or lever, being also so arranged and combined with the lay, thatat the pleasure of the operator or attendant, the action of the shuttlemay cause the picker stopper to recede from and relieve the point of theshuttle from contact with the picker, only during the presence of thesaid shuttle in the box opposite the picker-andso that when it isnecessary (as in three and four box looms) to throw in immediatesuccession, the upper and lower shuttles, while the intermediateshuttles are skipped or remain in the box-the said remaining shuttlesmay not be affected by the stopper, nor be struck back or becomedisplaced by the action of the same during the necessary up and downmotion of the box, as heretofore.

Referring to the drawings-A, is the stop or stud which is adjustablyaffixed upon the top or side of the frame of the loom, by means of aheaded screw adapted to a slot in the base of the stud, in the usualmanner, the said stud being formed and placed so as to present a stopcapable of either arresting the forward motion of the latch (B), or,allowing it to pass freely beneath the same, as occasion may requireduring the forward motion of the lay.

C, is the rock shaft, attached to the lower side of the lay, havingfixed to it a small piece of metal (a) which projects downward therefromnear its inner end so as to produce a point of attachment for thefulcrum of the latch (B), the said inner end of the rock shaft beingbent down so as to form a projection with an oblong slot therein, withinwhich the latch (B) may freely move up and down, so as to be broughteither in contact with the stop (A), or allowed to pass under the same,as shown in the drawing. The outer end of this rock shaft (C) is alsobent downward, so as to come in contact with an arm (D) which isadjustably affixed, near the lower end, of a cylindrical piece or stud(E) which passes up through a stationary post (F) on the end of the lay,so as to be capable of being partially rotated therein by the combinedaction of the rock shaft (C) and a spiral spring (G) as shown in thedrawing.

The fixed post (F), is made broad and high enough to cover the open endsof the shuttle boxes and the middle portion cut vsufficiently away, asshown at (c), to allow the end of the .picker (H) to pass the samefreely while in contact with the curved piece or stopper (I) whichprojects from, and moves with the partially rotating stud (E), as shownin the drawing. Adjusted so as to move upon the usual finger shaft (d)is an additional finger piece which has its lower end bent so as tocross under and support the latch (B), and its upper end extended upwardand bent so as to come in contact with one of the swells (e or e) withinthe slotted projection (f) of the rock shaft (C) this latter is causedto press back the projecting arm (D) which is adjustably fixed upon thecylindrical stud (E)-thus causing a partial rotation of the said stud,which carrying with it the attached curved piece or picker stopper (I)allows the picker to recede in contacttherewith the full distancerequired from the tip of the shuttle opposite thereto, before theshuttle box commences to move; and when the shut-tle is not in the box,the latch (B), resting upon the lower part of the loose finger (K) willsink withit suiiiciently to pass beneath the said stop (A) so as toavoid any contact therewith, and thus the rock shaft (C) andconsequently the picker stopper (I) is not actuated, and therefore thepicker stopper remains stationary, supporting the picker in positionforreceiving or throwing the next shuttle when required.

It will now be evident that-unless a shuttle is in the box which may beopposite to the picker, no receding motion of the picker can take place,and also, that whenever a shuttle is in the said box, the picker stopper(I) must always recede and allow the picker to follow and thus beseparated from the tip of the shuttle at every forward motion of the layand before the box commences to move; or, as it is sometimes necessary,for only one shuttle to be used, and therefore no receding motion of thepicker requiredthat the finger (K) has only to be shifted aside, oil"the swelland the picker will of course not be caused to recede. It willalso be evident that if the latch (B) is permanently elevated in theslotted end of the rock shaft (by inserting a wedge or block beneath it)so as to come in contact with the stop (A) atevery forward motion of thelay, the picker stopper will recede at every such forward motion,whether the box moves or not. This latter eect may indeed be produced aswell in the absence of the latch (B) and finger piece (K), by simplyadjusting the stop (A) so that it shall come in contact directly withthe arm of the rock-shaft (G)-and hence it is designed by me to take offor shift aside the latch (B) and the finger piece (K) and so to adjustthe stop (A) as to cause it directly to operate the rock shaftindependently of the shuttle, as describedthough their remaining on theloom attached as described, will not be attended with any inconvenience.

In my invention of improvements in looms patented January 9, 1855, andalso in the invention patented by Barton H. Jenks April 4, 1855, ampleprovision is made by devices, more or less complicated, for arrestingthe picker in looms having a moving shuttle box, so as to permit the upand down motion of the box, but however sufficient they may be for thepurpose 0f arresting the picker and causing it to move or recede fromthe tip of the shuttle in contact therewith, so as to permit the risingand falling motion of the box, being entirely dependent for theiract-ion in relieving the tip of the shuttle, upon devices which areactuated either directly by the motion of the shuttle-boxes themselvesor by the motion of the same indirectly acting from somel other part ofthe loom and independently of either the presence or absence of theshuttles, they are necessarily imperfect; and besides, neither of thesaid devices are capable of performing "their functions without causinga derangement of the intermediate shuttles, when applied' to three andfour-box looms, wherein the upper and lower shuttles thereof oftenrequire to be thrown in immediate and alternate succession, while theintermediate or skipped shuttles remain in the box; whereas in mypresent invention, as herein described, this defect is entirely andfully remedied, as when the alternate motion of the upper and lowershuttles is required while the intermediate shuttles remain in the box,the motion of the picker stopper, being primarily caused by the shuttleitself acting only while it is in the box which is then opposite thepicker, any shuttle not in this position can have no effect upon theaction of the picker stopper. And during the motion of the boxes up anddown, though the intermediate or skipped shuttles come to 'be insuccession opposite to the picker for the moment they are passing thesame, they cannot be affected or touched by the picker, and consequentlythe said skipped shuttles remain in position and undisturbed thereby;but in the devices patented as before designated, the picker, from themanner in which it is actuated, is caused to strike .the tips of theseintermediate shuttles as they pass the same and the shuttles areconsequently knocked forward by the picker so as to arrest the motion ofthe box, or certainly produce breakage. Again in the devices patented byB. H. Jenks April 4, 1855, as before designated, the picker cannot moveout of the way of, or recede from the tip or point of the shuttlepreviously to the moving of the box, as therein stateddbecause thepicker stopper, receiving its action from the box-motion, must, in itsmovement, necessarily be subsequent to that of the boxes-and hence asliding motion of the tip of the shuttle against the picker, must takeplace, whereas in my present invention operating as herein described andset forth the tip of the shuttle is perfectly and entirely separatedfrom contact with the picker, for some time before the box commences tomove, and therefore its Veffect is entirely perfect.

Having thus fully and accurately described the construction andoperation of my invention, and the several modes in which I contemplateits use; and also pointed out peculiar facts showing its utility andadvantages, I proceed to state that I do not claim a yielding rest orsupport for the picker, either to break the sudden blow or concussionwith which the shuttle impinges upon the picker, or for other purposes,as this device has been in use in England for some time, and also inthis country; nor do I claim Vseparating or freeing the picker from theend of the shuttle by the same movement which shifts the shuttle boxes,as this principle has been discovered; and several devices for carryingout the same patented-see patents granted to Barton H. J enks, April4/55, antedated January 8th 1855, and Joseph IVelsh, Jany. 9th, 55- nordo I claim holding the picker forward in movable shuttle box looms forthe purpose of stopping the shuttle thereby, and

causing the picker after having stopped the shuttle to recede -as and bythe devices or their equivalents, patented by James Eccles January 231855; nor do I claim the -use of a shuttle stopper (as a pickerstopper), when the said shuttle stopper receives its motion from anypart of the loom, and independently of the picker and the shuttle box oreither of them, as patented by me October 3, 1854; nor, finally do Iconfine my claim herein to the precise devices described and set forthherein for conveying either the joint or several action of the stop (A)and acting shuttle, to the picker as described-but What I claim as myinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- Actuating thepicker stopper by means of the shuttle which is required to be relievedfrom the picker; and so that the tip or point of the same may be fullyrelieved as described before the box containing it commences to move,substantially as described and set forth; or, by means of the stud (A)in combination with the rock shaft (C) (or its equivalent) adjustablearm (D) and moving stud (E), irrespective of the action of the shuttleupon the swell substantially and for the purposes as described.

JOSEPH WELSH.

Witnesses:

BEN MoRIsoN, J oHN THOMPSON.

